Israeli smart phone call co MyState raises $6.5m

MyState shows availability before dialing by indicating the person is on a call, offline or has no Internet connection, or is abroad.

Israeli smart communication platform MyState has raised $6.5 million in funding from private U.S. investors. The Tel Aviv-based startup is set on better coordinating the way people communicate, and is launching on Android and iOS. Users are able to automatically check in on contacts to see if they’re available - even before dialing - eliminating the need for call waiting and time wasting.

MyState shows the availability of a contact before dialing by displaying icons to indicate the person is on a call, offline or has no Internet connection, in a different time-zone, as well as their battery life running low, or charging. It also displays icons to indicate if their phone is on vibrate or silent. In addition, users can type out their own status message, if they choose.

A key feature of MyState is the “Crunch” button, which is used when a contact is speaking on the phone. By pressing the Crunch button, your smartphone will notify you when the contact is done with their call, and it will also notify the contact that you’re looking for them.

With the funding, MyState will develop innovative features that improve communications between people. The team will also research and develop new B2B features that will improve communication between organizations such as call centers and enterprises with customers.

MyState CMO Zvika Starkman said, “MyState is really shifting the way people communicate. The phone has evolved so much since its invention, yet the issue of call coordination has remained. We solved the problem of wasting energy and pent up frustration from playing phone tag, and waiting on busy signals. This is just the first step of where MyState could take its users. Imagine the future possibilities, like coordinating a conference call with the tap of the Crunch button the moment all parties are available!”

MyState allows users to maintain their privacy by not showing their state to all or specific contacts, or sharing certain statuses with certain groups such as family, friends, or colleagues. The app will also indicate the availability of a user, without giving away too much information, for example showing if a user is in a different time-zone, without sharing the location.